Computer security and the security of data communications with a computer have been a concern for some time. The proliferation of portable computing devices, laptops, PDAs, and the like, has increased the opportunities for security breaches. Additionally, the widespread availability of open network access points, particularly wireless access points, has also increase the opportunities for security breaches. Mobile workers routinely use portable electronic devices in coffee shops, airport lounges, automobile rest stops, or even when visiting other corporation's networks during a business trip. Often, such mobile workers are faced with a choice of not completing their work or risking exposure of valuable or confidential data. Given such a choice, mobile workers often choose the latter and hope for the best.
Secure sockets (SSL or SSL2) may be used at an application level to secure communications between two applications, for example, a web browser and a payment server. However, an SSL connection is only effective for the single application level session.
Secure network services or virtual private networks (VPN), such as layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) and point-to-point tunneling protocol (PPTP), allow security for all communication between endpoints over open (i.e. unsecure) networks. But, the set up and maintenance of such connections are cumbersome and often require either specific knowledge or administrator access.